Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 104 — page 22: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

22 torine, Wilber Sebastian and, Mildred, and the Senora. cna Arze!cs and her children, while Andrea ran over from time to time as he could spare the time from his business, which was now increasing greatly. Montezuma’s rooms were of delightful dimen- sions and magnificently furnished; the stables were full of carri and horses, the cellar crowded with bottles of choice wines and liquors, the servants as attentive as they could be, and the view upon the Gulf unexcelled, while the park and grounds werea perfect Paradise of beauty, and ever filled with the perfume of rare flowers. In the sheltered cove lay Montezuma’s yacht, the Nemesis, and there were innumerable row and sail-boats, so that a more charming spot could not be found in which to pass the hot days of summer than the Chateau d’Espagne, and with such a host as was the Mexican billionaire. Another elegant home on the shore, yet of coursé not to compared with Montezuma’s, was owned by an eccentric old English gentle- man, a bachelor, who affected the society of gentlemen only, and was wont to give dinner- parties several times a week; but then he had an immense bank account with Abercrombie & Co., and could afford to be extravagant, and the entlemen of the neighborhood were delighted Fat he was, But though he was friendly to all, yet he had a few boon aig) ane a who were constantly at his handsome home, which was formerly the Grenville estate, and many were the orgies they had big Saipan though the Englishman never drank liquor or wine—he said his physicians had forbidden it; but he was ever urging his ests to make free with all upon his table, and his mansion, | One day two bits of news fell like a thunder- bolt upon the Lake shore, and struck consterna- tion to many hearts. First, a small vessel dropped anchor in front of the Chateau d Espagne, and two men came ap ¥o the mansion, an yunded every one by S pping up to Rosal Abercrombie, one of them sa Op stern tones: ‘Mr. Abercrombie, I arrest you in the name very tan their feet ting th very one sprung to their feet, excepting the Rah he seemed almo paraly by the shock and was as pale as death. But Montezuma stepped forward and asked carn: “Upon what charge, Mr, Officer, do you make this arrest?” | Upon the charge of murder, Senor Montezu- ma, “* Indeed! a severe charge, yet one which oy friend must prove untrue; you have a warrant, of course, else I cannot permit my guest to be taken from beneath my roof.” The officer hastily produced the w nt. of arrest upon the charge of murder, and Montezu- ma turned to hi guest: | ‘Mr, Abercrombie, you must rouse yourself. To prove this charge untrue must now be your duty. Mr. Officer, will you accept me as surety for the appearance of Mr. Abercrombie in New Onees to ref Senor M te “Tam sorry to refuse you or Montezuma, t I have orders to bring him, dead or alive.” “Then obey your orders; but, Abercrombie, cheer up, for we will come over in th Nemesis and see that you get a fair trial.” ** Oh, father! w y, do you not speak and prove this charge untrue?’ cried Brainard Abercrom- bie, overwhelmed by distress, while Helen Aber- crombie, she who had married this man because he had proven another guilty of murder in the long ago, sat like a statue, her eyes staring—her face as white as marble. | “Come, Mr. Abercrombie, we must hasten to return,” said the officer. , yt “* Monsieur, Mr. Abercrombie, I pledge you my word, shall be ready for you when you leave, but you, and your comrades on your vessel, must first partake of my OSH EY In two hours’ time you can set sail, and I can talk ever this painful matter with my friend.” The offigers were not at all aarnns to - take of the ehateau hospitalities, and left their di to the care of Montezuma, who made imself responsible for bim. | In the specified time the lugger set sail, bear- ing upon it Rosal Abercrombie, in irons, and his wife and son, who had refused Montezuma’s invitation to run them over in the yacht, pre- ferring to waging eb the utterly prostrated Beeonen who, since his arrest, had not spoken a word. | “*T will leave Ca Grenville to act as host, and Sebastian and myself will follow soon in the yacht; but I ie tg delayed, as I promised our English friend, Mr. Monette, to take him to the B , where he could catch an outward bound vessel, as he has important business call- ing him abroad,” Montezuma had said, at pe ing with the Abercrom ies on the Ie ECr and on board of which be had sent everything to make them comfortable d the voyage. An hour after the Remar hoisted sail, and with Montezuma and Wilber Sebastian on board, ran down toward cs site the villa of Mr. Ellis Monette, while Don Felipe id Captain Grenville, with the r wives, an ‘Mil- | ee Montezuma, the Mereiless. dred aud the Senora Angelos still remained at the chateau, Montczun.a promising to return as soon as possible. — , Running in close, Montezuma said that he would go up to the mansion after Mr. Monette, and was accordingly rowed to the pier. In a few moments he ascended the broad ste of the piazza, and was met at the door by an old gentleman, who, the reader is aware, was none other than Ellis Monette in disguise. “They are all here, Senor Montezuma,” said the supposed old man, “ The five jurymen, the district attorney and the sheriff?” ‘** Yes, sir; the seven,” ‘* Very well; now call the attorney and get him to make a deed of sale, as I purchase this lace from you, and the others can al] witness it. I suppose that you have given out that you were called away, and intended selling?” *“* Yes, senor,” “ And your seryants?’ ME wy all paid off and making merry in the en.’ ‘““Good! I shall stand back by the chateau and send one of my seryanta to take charge. Are ou all T “A ly . vied ‘lam, sir; L shall only carry a li e baggage in my hand. My place I sell you intact,” and Ellis Monette smiled. | In a few minutes more the attorney had drawn up the deed of sale, Gouvetig to Montezuma the mansion and its surrounding acres, with all within the elegant house, for a certain large sum in cash, and those present, seven in number, witnessed the document. ‘‘ Now, gentlemen, a bumper all round; a last glass before I leave you,” and Ellis Monette ap- proached the sideboard and poured out nine silver goblets of wine, The bumpers were dashed down, Ellis Mo- nette, on this occasion joining with his guests, and Montezuma also drinking, ‘* Now, gentlemen, make yourselyes at home. I wish to see the Senor Montezuma for a while,” and the two rar the dining-ball, the guests aga drinking deeply. | Hapi ly they. wended their way down to the pier, Were rowed on board the yacht, which went flying back toward the chateau dock, Signaling for his head-servant to meet him, Montezuma, as the yacht stood close in shore, called out: “‘I haye bought Mr, Monette’s estate, .Band Meldiz over to take charge at once.” Then the fleet vessel headed out into the Gulf, while Montezuma paced the deck, a strange look upon his usually calm face. In the meantime a strange scene was being enacted at the pane op on the shore—a scene that would freeze the very blood with horror. Sheriff Winston, he who had arrested Launce- lot Grenville for the murder of his brother, thirty-seven years before, and now an old man, had started to seek his host, when half an hour passed and he did not return. As he arose to his feet he staggered badly, and his head went round until he nearly fell; but then he had been partaking freely of his host’s good wine, and he thought nothing of it. Reaching the door he Pp. hand upon the knob, to start with surprise. His eyes fell upon a placard that occupied the entire panel above the lock. A placard upon which he read with horror— while his cry of fright brought his companions around him—these words in large letters: ““LAUNCELOT GRENVILLE AVENGED. “Thirty-seven years a jury of twelve men _ ‘upon trial, and p tbe guilty of murdering his er, “ LAUNCELOT GRENVILLE, and the district attorney in his bitter speech and the fu e in hie charge, al pronounced him a fratri- cide, and all else that was evil, and he was sentenced to die upon the gallows, and would have done so but for the love and faithfulness of an old negro, Dave, since gone to his rest. “He whom they proved to have been murdered is ow alive and an f sho that. they acted wholly m bitterness toward the unfortunate prisoner whose life was wrecked, even though he escaped death on the gallows. “*Five of those twelve jurymen are yet living, as also are the district attorney and the sheriff—seven in all who are doomed. ‘The others are beyond revenge, for they lie in their graves. ‘““* The mills of the gods grind slowly; But the grist is very fine.’ “And after thirty-seven years, vengeance has come. You have drank the cup of poison to the bitter ayes. “Now, as death faces you, remember that Launce- lot Grenville is avenged.” With eyes staring from their sockets the seven doomed men read the above remarkable pla- card, and the scene that followed beggars de- scription. ey were old men, all beyond fifty, and_yet they clung to life as a child would, and wail af- ter wail of. anguish burst from their w bite lips, as they felt that they must die, for already were the pangs of death gnawing at their vitals. ith frenzied strength they pulled at the door, but it refused to yield to their efforts; it WAS § ly fastened. ae ry smashed in the glass, to.be met by a solid wall of iron. Again they rushed to the door; it must yield to them, and with mad strength they dashed the solid table in pieces and used it as a meang of breaking down the solid portal. | At last it began to yield, and their wild shrieks of delight mingled with their groans of pain; hope was before them; a doctor might, nay, must save them, for they were not Gt to ie Harder and harder their blows fell upon tho oaken door, and at last it gaye way and was | torn from its hinges. But, horror of horrors! an éren deor was be- yond it ! | Like dead they fell to the floor; but. their agony again brought them to their feet, anc like mad wretches they shrieked for help]— help! to save them from death. ut no help came; their cries could not reach beyond those iron and padded walls; he who oyneee Launcelot Grenville had laid his plans well, Weaker and weaker grew their cries, and on¢ by one they sunk down to die, yet still clinging to life with frantic despair. At length the iron door Ath on open on its hinges, and he who entered started back in af- fright: it was Meldiz, the servant of Montezu- ma. Quickly he called the servants still reveling in the kitchen, and. the sight they saw sobhered them all, and like startled deer they fled the place to spread the direful tidings. Thus it was that Rosal Abercrombie, arrested for murder, and seven men poisoned to avenge Launhcelot Grenville, fell like thunderbolts upon the inmates of the Chateau d’ Espagne. And then it was that all who had seen Ellis Monette, the pretended Englishman, had recog- nized in him ‘none other than Launcelot Gren- ville himself—an old white-haired gray-bearded man, yet still Launcelot Grenville: to such mis: takes do our fancies lead us! CHAPTER XXVI. THE TOILS TIGHTENING. THE startling news, that had fallen like a stroke of lightning upon the le of the quiet Lake shore, in the arrest of Abercrombie for murder, and the death by pont , of the seven survivors of the trial of unccelot, in due time reached New Orleans, and set the excitable citizens wild, while many of them could not but admire the indomitable pluck and patience of the man who bad so long bided his time for vengeance, as not one believed otherwise than that Ellis Monette, the preenden old English. man, was none other than the fugitive, who, thirty-seven years before, had fled from the very gallows. : At length the Nemesis arrived in front of the Crescent city having run around by the Chan- deleur Islands, and entered the river by the South Pass. With some show of surprise upon his marble face, Montezuma received the news, brought bim by Andrea Angelos, as soon as he had driven to his city home. First, he learped, that he had aided, of course innocently all Knew, Launcelot Grenville, alias Ellis Monette, te escape, after his terribie act of a by putting him on board of an out. ward-bound vessel, which all knew it was Use- less to pursue to erin his capture. “This information is startling indeed, friend Angelos. Who would have suspected that pleasant old gentleman to be laying such a plot of rerenge. 1 of them were dead, you say, when Meldiz arrived?” “Every one of them, Senor Montezuma; tut the placard on the door told the whole story of his revenge.” Captain Grenville—how bore he tho “ And news?” ‘““He was astounded bps measure, and says he knows his brother Launcelot to be dead, and yet can form no idea as to who could have been the one to thus avenge him. In fact, every one, so says the news from the shore, lives in fear and trembling there. They know not what stroke may fall next.” ‘There is certainly some a bottom of all this; but now, to bie—what of him?” “He is now in the city carcel, senor, and has been committed for trial, as the proofs are strong against him.” 2 at are the circumstances, Senor An- gelos?” x qney f° back thi riage of Mr. Abercrom his resent wife. i add ‘He was secretly married to a poor gir), it seems, whom he wiched to get rid of +o" mde Helen Brainard, the beauty and heiress, his wife, and made an attempt upon ber life, which was Aa daenps the girls sister, whom Rosal Abercrombie killed with his knife, and made his escape. ‘Strange to say, his wife placed the blame upon a burglar, who, she i entered the room of her sister and herself, bad thus‘ : her busband. , he mystery at the sal Abercrom- -six years, to the mar ie to Helen Brainard, ECORMIE OOO KS Cc ™ ed ee (E(@) : : ’